Company Culture

Hurricane Harvey tore through Texas and Louisiana, moving slowly from August 25th through August 30th, before moving out of the area and dumping flood waters in other parts of the nation as well.

The devastation caused by one of the worst hurricanes in recorded U.S. history has left many asking what they can do to be of help in relief efforts. Many employees may be asking what contributions they’re able to make in partnership with their employer. The IRS has announced that it will permit employers to set up tax-favored leave-based donations programs. Continue reading →

Recently, I read an article with a title that caught my eye, “Startups are making the rejection letter a thing of the past”. The author’s viewpoint was essentially that Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) gives companies the ability to pass human recruiting tasks on to tools like Mya. Not only does this delegate the prescreening process to a robot, it can also prevent would-be candidates from even becoming applicants. This would effectively reduce the need for “turndown” or rejection letters, at least within the initial phase of the recruiting process. Continue reading →

This is part three of our five-part series about effective recruiting in a candidate driven market.

By: Edna Nakamoto and Jessica Barrett

In part two of our five-part series on recruiting, we took a look at resources, strategies and processes. We’ve already briefly touched on the topic of internal screening, but today, we’re going to further unpack this important topic.

All too often, as soon as an employee gives notice that they are leaving, organizations quickly post the open role to fill the vacancy as soon as possible. It’s a natural reaction as losing someone means lost productivity, lost revenue, and a heavier workload for their colleagues. However, taking a step back and examining your current talent pool may prove to be the best first option.

Years ago, companies could hide behind their impressive buildings and stock earnings, leaving potential employees wishing for a glimpse behind the marble-tiled foyer to find out how it might feel to be one of “them”. Knowing someone who worked there might be the lucky break that could give them the inside scoop they needed to find out bits of knowledge regarding salaries, corporate culture, and advancement opportunities. This would sometimes be all the first-hand information available to a job-seeker before deciding to interview with a company they admired from afar.

Those days are over.

Not only are companies more purposely transparent through the use of websites and a heavy social media presence, but because of sites like Glassdoor, a TAM Integration Partner, their current and past employees have the opportunity to share anything they care to about things like pay, benefits, working conditions, hours, growth potential, and leadership.(see below information on the upcoming Glassdoor webinar)

Finding top talent in today’s marketplace has completely changed, and merely posting open job opportunities fails to draw in candidates. People want to find more than a job; they want to find a career that connects with their own values and goals, while making a difference larger than themselves.

There are companies with employer brands so strong that landing a job with them has become something of a status symbol. What makes these companies so successful at attracting potential employees is the message they’re sending out about themselves.Continue reading →

We hear about company culture quite a bit. Open concept offices, flexible hours, on-site gyms and a casual dress code. These influence a culture, but at the end of the day, how are we truly defining company culture?
A culture is the values and practices shared by the members that make up the culture. Company culture is the values and practices shared by the members, or employees, of a company. When we’re speaking about values, or as some organizations refer to them – core values, it’s important to remember that these values are the key to shaping the culture of a company. When a company knows exactly what their values are, their culture is defined, and the organization is in a position to clearly outline their goals.

Why is this important? A company without clearly defined goals has no destination in mind. Rather, the individuals or small groups that make up the company each have their own goals, but aren’t sure whether or not they align with one another on their way to achieving the larger over-arching goals of the company. This is a dangerous place for an organization to be in, as they have no idea where they’re headed.Continue reading →

Most everyone is familiar with the fun, “crazy” culture at famous tech companies like Google and Facebook. Napping pods, comfy lounge spaces, game rooms, free food, and putting greens are certainly a diversion from most corporate environments. It’s common for startups to take a new approach, after all, there are certain risks associated with being different that commonly pay off. There are times, however, when this is not the case.